The reasons why women at risk for pregnancy aren’t using contraception are likely as complex as women’s lives. Through my own practice, I have seen many unintended pregnancies (not surprising given that 45% of all pregnancies in the US are unintended). Research provides some insight into why women may experience unintended pregnancies – and the answers may surprise you! Nearly all women in the United States have used contraception at some point in their lives. However, the av

Photo credit: K Culwell, 2017. Woefully inadequate sex education. Having recently traveled to Kenya and heard the voices of many young people describing the barriers they face to accessing contraception and avoiding unwanted pregnancies and STIs, I was still moved by this excellent article describing research done by The Guttmacher Institute which revealed the lack of sex ed in Kenya. #sexed #kenya #globalhealth #publichealth #unplannedpregnancy #contraception #research #stis

Spoiler Alert: Abstinence-only education and limited access to contraception. Sounds obvious, right? But not in Texas. Excellent coverage this morning on NPR of a new study and the reality for teens in Texas where the only sex ed provided in schools (if any) is abstinence-only or, if you're lucky "abstinence plus". This is combined with the "defunding" and subsequent closure of many Planned Parenthood clinics in the state leading to limited information AND access for the most